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By NATHAN HOWELL | Special to the Reporter

PELHAM – The Pelham Parks and Recreation department is offering four weeks of outdoor programming designed to give children doing staggered and virtual school an opportunity to have fun in a safe setting.

The programming called “Break Time Fun Time…Come Play at the Park” is a biweekly event that will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays of each week and will offer a different theme to encourage fun outdoor activities for children ages 5-12, according to Parks and Rec Assistant Director Alicia Walters.

“We are here to serve the community and we are trying to be as creative as possible during this time,” Walters said. “We know that some families are choosing to do virtual learning and other students are on a staggered schedule so we are looking at ways to provide the community time to engage physically, socially and mentally.”

The first week of the programming will kick off on Aug. 25 and 28 and the theme is “All About Sports.” Children will be encouraged to play games like soccer, kickball or basketball. There will be stations set up to encourage skill development, and the kids will participate in cooperative play with new friends.

The theme of the second week is set to be “Explore the Outdoors,” where kids will be enriched in outdoor recreation in the parks and creek, while learning about the environment and nature.

Week three will focus on being “Up for the Challenge,” and will include friendly competition in more traditional outdoor play including touchless tag and other games.

The final week will be “Wild Water Week,” which will let kids cool off with water themed games and activities like a water relay and water balloons, among other things.

Each day of the programming will have two sessions for ages 5-8 and 9-12, which will last about an hour-and-a-half each.

Social distancing and sanitizing guidelines will be followed during each of the programs to protect the safety of the children and staff. Per state guidelines masks will be required for the sessions.

The programs are $10 per day, and space is limited to keep the groups small for social distancing. To get more information and register for the events visit Pelhamalrecreation.gov.